Hippodrome Istanbul
- 14 Nov 2009 11:12
Istanbul's Byzantine Hippodrome was the heart of Constantinople's political and sporting life, and the scene of games and riots through 500 years of Ottoman history as well (map).
It's now a calm city park called the At Meydani (Horse Grounds) because of its function in Ottoman times.
Yerebatan Saray, the Sunken Palace Cistern, is beneath the little park at the northern end of the Hippodrome. Above the hidden cistern is a stone tower that was once part of the city's system of aqueducts.
Beside the stone tower is the Milion, the zero-mile-marker on the road called the Mese, the Roman road between Constantinope and Rome. The street is now calle